A Life in Feathers: Reflecting on over three decades of caring for parrots at Raystede

When did you start working at Raystede and why did you want to work here?

I had always loved animals but my career to start with was something very different, in hairdressing! I think at Raystede I have found my calling although I didn’t realise it at the time.

I have worked at Raystede twice, the first time was for over 2 years before I went over to America to work as an au pair. While it was a great experience, I missed my family and friends plus the birds I had got to know at Raystede, especially Captain, a bald Scarlet Macaw, so I was keen to return. I rejoined in 1992 and have been here ever since!

What are your earliest memories of the centre?

Initially I worked in different sections and so much has improved for all the animals over the years.

The Aviaries section was bigger and more scattered across the site. Under one department, we had the exotics, including Chelonia plus the sanctuary with ducks and geese, lots of them then, in particular plenty of drakes as our motto was ‘we never say no to needy animals’ and because they were often aggressive to females, we ended up with lots of them.

My main memory was seeing Captain the bald Macaw for the first time. It was a real treat to see the parrots and I feel as privileged today as I did then to continue to work with them. I was shocked to see all his feathers missing on his body and there starts my journey of learning about these complex beings and it was the start of a real love for Captain; he could be very naughty and rude but was always lovely with me and we had great fun together. I still miss him, although he has been gone a long time now.

What are your memories of our Founder, Miss Raymonde-Hawkins, and what influence did she have on your work?

MRH was a force to be reckoned with. She was definitely a larger-than-life character! I don’t think she was surprised by much, especially in her old age, and she had sadly seen a lot of cruelty to animals.

I respected her and she was Raystede. It was all down to her work and ability to communicate with people, often influential people.

You’d often hear her voice boom out over the tannoy system and she rarely missed her daily ‘thank you for your visit but the centre is closing’. Captain used to shout, ‘Bye bye’, a couple of minutes before she spoke, so his timing was always excellent.

We had weekly neutering sessions for those in financial difficulty helping to control the overpopulation of dogs and cats. It was extremely good work and her ethic and dedication to animals influenced me greatly.

Who is currently our longest stay resident in the Aviaries?

Well, I can only go by who was here in the late 1980s. Not many are left now but we have Hope (pictured), a Macaw, who was born (apparently) on site in the early 80s with his siblings who are no longer with us.

I know of two cockatoos who were here before I arrived and are still with us: George and Billy. Billy, a Lesser Sulphur Crested, was stolen but ended up being handed in to a police station in a bloodied box. I can only assume the thief had a pang of conscience and after being bitten, did the decent thing.

Who is currently our longest stay resident in the Aviaries?

Can you recall a couple of birds that you have bonded with or those that have an interesting story/character?

Captain, the Scarlet Macaw, was incredible. I believe he came to stay around 1966, when his owners had a baby. He had a taste for electric and phone cables. He used to chase staff down the corridor in the original block, with his funny laugh trying to grab hold of a foot, as he was unable to fly.

He used to run backwards as it was quicker, he was very clever. He also swore a lot. I would take him for walks around the centre on my shoulder, since he had no feathers to fly well, which he loved. We sang and danced together. He hated other birds, so I’m honoured to have had a special bond with him.

The amazing thing about parrots is you can’t force them to like you, they choose, it’s up to them.

Then there’s Edwina (pictured). She was a plucked, Medium Sulphur Crested cockatoo, who was well into her 60s when we sadly lost her last year.

She was originally bought by someone in the theatre world, taken on by a supporter of MRH and Raystede, Mr Stanley Hall, who was a master wigmaker to the stars in the 50s and 60s and enjoyed a lively lifestyle with other rescue birds with him. It’s likely she would even have met the likes of Noel Coward.

She came to us after being rescued from a house fire and stayed permanently for over 20 years and for the most part lived in an aviary with Tiger, a Lesser Sulphur Crested cockatoo. It’s still hard to talk about her, she was very special and loving.

Our Aviaries Team provide specialist care to our birds, could you share more information about this care and how your knowledge has developed/changed over the years?

There have been significant but costly advancements over the last 20 years, which has helped significantly improve health and welfare and even longevity. Specifically in areas of avian medicine, such as lab testing, drug research and use, improved pain management and antibiotics; surgery, sharpened digital X-rays, CT scans and endoscopy.

There are more specialist avian vets available nationally now, which is crucial as parrots by nature do not show signs of illness until it is well developed, so being able to act quick and respond to those sometimes-subtle signs by those caring for them is critical.

Diet has also improved massively and so many different foodstuffs are available now. Formulated pelleted diets have helped reduce risks of diet related diseases. General husbandry has improved over the years too. There is a wealth of information out there today in literature. When I started, we didn't have mobile phones and had to get hard copy books, everything was paper!

Information online can be overwhelming and is not always accurate, but there is always a way to find knowledgeable help, which used to be almost impossible. Certainly, the team at Raystede are experts in aviary birds and we are always available to advise people with any questions they might have.

Our Aviaries Team provide specialist care to our birds, could you share more information about this care and how your knowledge has developed/changed over the years?

What is it that fascinates you about exotic birds and why have you devoted your whole career to them?

Parrots are incredibly complex and no two are ever the same. Their background stories are so varied, and they have often had to adapt and deal with many changes, as we do.

Being highly emotional and receptive, they have to deal with navigating through life in similar ways to us. However, they are essentially still wild by nature and must adjust both mentally and physically in captivity.

It’s quite incredible that they can do so, to a degree. Although often resulting in behavioural and sometimes both physical and behavioural problems.

I learn new things from them every day. They are fascinating and beautiful and although I would rather not see any of them in captivity for the most part, as a team, we do our utmost to give those in our care a good life. Being sanctuary birds, we have developed relationships with them over the years and a sense of devotion and responsibility that goes beyond it being just a job. It’s vocational.

There is no place quite like Raystede and I feel fiercely loyal to the charity.

If you’re visiting, we hope you enjoy seeing our birds again now that the Avian Influenza restrictions have been lifted. Don’t forget that our Aviaries close at 2pm for the welfare of our birds. To book your FREE ticket to visit Raystede, click here.